I guess the (Sacramento) A’s will be able to attract free agents to their literal minor league stadium, after all. According to multiple reports, free-agent starter Luis Severino has signed with the A’s to a record-setting deal for that organization.
Luis Severino Signs with A’s
Mark Feinsand is reporting the deal as a three-year, $67 million pact with a $10 million signing bonus and an opt-out after the second year of the deal, when Luis Severino will be 33 years old. And, yes, $67M is the largest free agent contract in A’s franchise history, which is pretty nuts in the year 2024.
And it’s a good get for Severino, who was projected to earn between $39M (FanGraphs) and $51M (MLBTR) this offseason. Did the A’s have to overpay to get him in the door? Maybe! Sure seems like it. I genuinely can’t believe they did it, given the circumstances of the organization. But also, MLB might’ve been on them for not spending to appropriate levels given rev share and the entire Oakland situation, in general.
With that said, Severino had a nice 2024 season, making 31 starts (182.0 IP) with a 3.91 ERA (3.88 xERA). He wasn’t really striking guys out, but his average fastball velocity was above 96 MPH and he really managed contact well (5.7 barrel%, 87.1 MPH EV). He was also particularly tough on righties, who slashed just .216/.292/.323 off Severino last year.
There’s no real impact here for the Cubs, who already laid out their mid-tier free-agent starter expenditure on Matthew Boyd (for a lot less, I might add). They may still be seeking a starter, of course, but if so, it’s more likely to come via trade.